The End
by england-has-swag
Summary: Oneshot. In a post-apocalyptic world, loss is a constant enemy. Alfred has found someone on the side of the road. He seems to be clueless to this new world. Warnings: mentions of gore/violence


The world seemed hopeless. At this stage, everything was far off. Creatures of the night had taken over, and there were no safe places to inhabit at night. The only way to survive was to keep moving forward. People got left behind, some died. After a while, Alfred got used to this life. He'd had to leave behind so many people. It was a hard thing to do. He wanted to do something; to save someone… But he felt helpless in this world.

At the moment, he was driving down a country road in a nice new charger that he'd picked up from an abandoned car dealership. It was bright out today. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. His sunglasses dulled down the brightness to an extent. That was one thing he was grateful for… all the abandoned stores. It was easy to get things these days. Though, it only reminded him of how quickly humans were being picked off. He saw something on the side of the road. At first glance, he assumed it was a dead animal, maybe a deer. His car screeched to a halt once he realized that the thing on the side of the road was a person. He immediately backed up so that he was behind the… man? Then, he grabbed his shot gun from the passenger's side seat and cautiously got out. For all he knew, the man had been bitten. It could be a vampire already. If it was, then he'd gladly put it out of its misery.

He crept closer, and then nudged the man with his boot. "Hey… You okay, dude…?"

The blonde stirred a little, breathing slightly ragged as he swallowed. Not that it did much to assist his dry throat. Blinking, his ice blue eyes slowly managed to open and stare at the American before him. The image was blurry, seeming almost distorted. His breath hitched for a brief, painful moment as he felt himself being nudged.

But at last, the German male opened his eyes a little more. He opened his mouth to try to reply, but no sound came out. The last time he had spoken was quite some time ago. But something was wrong. Gilbert was not by his side, nor could he see him anywhere nearby. Now more alert, Ludwig whipped his head around, trying to locate what had happened to his elder brother. Where he had gone, what had happened to the German man himself, it all seemed so fuzzy and blurry in his mind.

He groaned weakly, finally sitting up as he looked to this stranger. Or maybe it was not. He was not even sure anymore. His dry lips finally parted as he sighed quietly, nodding in answer to his question.

The American was watching the other intently. He was watching for any signs that the man was no longer human. For the time being, it didn't seem as though he was attacked. He didn't have any marks on him from what Alfred could see, and he didn't see any blood. That didn't mean the German wasn't changed. He had his shot gun trained towards the man, and had backed up a little. It was a good sign that the other had responded to his question, at least. It meant he most likely was still human. But the brunette couldn't be too careful. He'd learned that from experience. He was ready to shoot at any signs that the other would attack.

"Are you still human?" Alfred questioned, then thought to rephrase it. "...were you bit?"

"...Ja... I am still human..." He winced as he spoke, placing his hand to his throat. His own voice sounded scratchy, and not at all like how he remembered it to sound before. But he supposed that not having spoken in a good while did that to people, even to him. But he did tense a little at the shot gun being pointed at him, eyes widening. He exhaled shakily, holding a breath he did not even know he had been holding. "...I am not an enemy... Whatever the enemy may be for you."

Alfred lost his serious look, and a grin replaced it on his features. He lowered the gun. "Anyone that isn't human is my enemy," he said simply. He did notice the roughness of the man's voice, which made his smile falter. "Want some water? I have a bunch of bottled water in the trunk." He looked around. It wasn't too dangerous to be out during the day time. Especially when it was this bright out. But... "You have any place to go? If not, you can tag along, but we have to get going soon." His smile shifted into a slightly apologetic look. "Sorry for all the questions," he said, rubbing the back of his neck, and looking to the side.

Standing up a little shakily, he nodded weakly. "...That would be nice. Danke..." he thought for a moment, trying to recall anyone he may have run into that was not human. But he drew a blank. Even how he got on the side of the road seemed blurry to him. One minute he was with Gilbert, his elder brother. The next, he remembered vaguely something that felt like a fist or blunt object being brought to the back of his head and darkness was all he knew as he fell unconscious. Ludwig finally sighed, shaking his head as he admitted. "...Nein... I don't think I do... And go where, exactly...?"

The young adult smiled and nodded to himself, then went to the car and popped the trunk. He always made sure to keep his water supply rather full. The trunk was full of guns and other weapons, including those that didn't require ammunition. There were also plenty of bullets for the various guns he had. He grabbed a bottled water from a small cooler, then replaced it with one from a new container. Water was always better when it was cold. He also had juice, soda, and some food, but he tried to ration those. Especially the sweets and junk food. He loved that sort of stuff, but he knew that food he could live off of came first. He shut the trunk, making sure it was closed before heading back over to the stranger and handing him the bottle. "I'm not sure where I'm going. Maybe gonna try to find a place without the vamps and other baddies, ya know?" He laughed, which was loud, and slightly obnoxious. "That's probably just a stupid dream now, though. Bet you every corner of this world is filled with them by now. Just have to keep moving, though. Better that than be dead... or changed," he explained. He sighed, his smile brightening as he tried to focus on something else. "Anyway, my name is Alfred F. Jones, at your service! Who're you?"

Sighing, he looked to all the weapons with widened eyes, staring. Why were there so many weapons? And what had happened in the time that he was unconscious? It seemed as if the world he knew was drastically changing, and he did not like this feeling. Not in the slightest bit. Also, his brother was missing and nowhere to be seen. That also bothered him more than he cared to admit. The rations looked as if he had been carefully preserving them for some special purpose. Grateful, he murmured another "Thank you" in his native tongue, twisting the plastic cap off and taking a grateful drink. A hint of a smile twitched on the corners of his lips as he drank it, feeling the cold water refresh his dry throat. "...Ah, I see... And you can call me Ludwig."

Alfred leaned against the black car casually. The man seemed incredibly confused, from what he could tell. He wondered why that was. But because it looked like Ludwig was coming with him, he figured that he could answer any questions the other had when they were on the road again. He nodded to the thanks, wondering where the stranger came from. He was obviously speaking German. Not that the American was one to judge. He'd met all kinds of people out in this new world. Unfortunately, they'd all either parted ways, died, or were changed. The other didn't look so good, so Alfred was glad he'd found him when he did. Not that he was hopeful that this man would survive. He had a glimmer of hope for that, but most of it had been lost over the past year. Then again, Ludwig looked like a survivor.

Alfred wondered if the reason the German man looked so confused was because he was unaware of what the world was becoming. Where he, himself, had lived, was where the first outbreak started. It was quickly spreading, but maybe he was catching up to the places where it hadn't hit yet. "You know what's happening?" he questioned. It was always hard to break this news to people, even though he'd only had to do it a few times before.

"...No, to be quite honest, I don't..." Ludwig admitted, looking down to his boots. They were slightly worn combat boots, but comfortable all the same. His head pounded, and he winced, trying to recall what sort of blunt object could have been used. As he placed his hand to his temples, he was surprised to see blood come away from his temple. Well, whatever it was, it certainly had a lot of force behind it.

At last, he swallowed, looking to him to brace himself for whatever he had to tell him. Ludwig was sure he could handle it. But one part of his mind refused to be quiet, constantly nagging at the fact his brother could be anywhere. 'What if Gilbert is dead...? He is my only family... and... he could be dead... Then what?' As thoughts raced through his mind, he clenched the plastic water bottle just a little tighter.

Alfred sighed and looked at the ground. "About a year back, somewhere by Ohio, there was an outbreak of some sort of strange disease. At first, everyone was calm, because we thought we could keep it contained. The weird thing was that the illness resembled something along the lines of Vampirism. It got out of control. People were dying and being changed left and right. It's spreading really quickly. What most people don't know is that it was the military's fault. I used to be a soldier. We were doing tests; trying to make the perfect soldier. One that was strong, and could survive harsh climates. I had a few tests done to me, and so did some of the other men. Most of the tests were done on animals, though. The ones done on humans worked pretty well. I'm stronger than a man usually is, and some of the other soldiers were, too. We were doing testing on chimps, and a few escaped. They were scheduled to be euthanized because the tests had changed them in dangerous ways. Which is how the disease got out. There are different variations of the disease. It varies which each person it infects. It changes their genes... The DNA. That's why we haven't found a cure yet. Most of the people who get bit turn into what seems like a vampire. But, like I said, there are variations. I've encountered a lot in the past year. We have to keep moving, though. It's not as dangerous right now, because most of them have issues with sunlight, but we can't risk being out for too long. I've run into some that can withstand the sun. Mostly, they try to stick to the colder climates. They do better there. That's why I'm heading south."

As he was talking, he had popped the trunk again, and grabbed a roll of bandages from it after seeing that the man was bleeding. "Mind if I fix that up a little? Don't want you losing too much blood, after all," he explained, managing to keep a slightly strained smile.

It certainly was a lot to take in, and Ludwig could barely believe such a thing was real. It seemed like something he would watch with his older brother, cheesy films that were about zombie apocalypses or something of that sort that generally just made him want to roll his eyes. Yet, here he was, now stuck in what seemed as if a very real possibility of what he had seen except with vampire like creatures instead.

"...I see... I hope he is alright, then... I have not seen him in a good while..." The German was mainly speaking to himself, more worried for his elder brother than his own wounds. An idea suddenly struck him as he turned back to him. "These scientists... When you were there, did you see a man just a little shorter than myself? Maybe about... one to two inches shorter, I'd say with almost platinum to white hair and red eyes?" He tried to not sound /too/ hopeful, but he was anxious to know if anyone had seen Gilbert, even if it was a glimpse of him.

When the German didn't answer his question, he proceeded to wrap the man's head anyway. He quickly finished, then threw the bandage roll back into the trunk and closed it again. He thought for a moment before replying. "Hm... Yes. I think I know who you're talking about," he said, but his voice had lost its cheerful tone. "...was the man's name Gilbert?" he questioned. He could only hope not. Not many people came out of the labs alive after the chimps escaped. He knew the face well, though. He'd seen him around camp sometimes, and frequently in the labs. It was hard to forget a face as distinct as that. Alfred was looking off to the side. "We need to get going," he mumbled before the other had a chance to answer his question. Then, he quickly got into the driver's seat, figuring that they could continue the conversation in the car.

Ludwig frowned, flinching without realizing as his head was wrapped. He winced, his head still pounding even as it was wrapped, placing a hand to his head. Something did not seem right. The other male almost seemed to be avoiding his gaze. Not only that, but he had correctly guessed his brother's name. So perhaps he had seen him, after all! A bit hesitatingly, he opened the door to the passenger car door, nodding. "Ja, his name is Gilbert... So do, or..." he swallowed, hoping that he was still alive, even as he used the past term. "...did you know him?"

Alfred sighed at the question. "He used to be my doctor. Gave me all the drugs they were testing on us. He was in the lab when the breakout happened. Well, he must've been, is what I mean." He locked the doors in habit before resting his head against the steering wheel. "Last time I saw him, he was bent over a small child with blood on his lips." He hesitated. "He was changed. He might not be dead, but there are things worse than death." The American sat up, and began driving, looking at the road to avoid looking at Ludwig. "I'm sorry," he said softly.

As the blonde German heard of his fate, he paled a little. His hands trembled, staring ahead with widened eyes. His teeth clenched tightly together, and an almost choked noise left his lips. He did not, could not, believe it. Gilbert would never do such a thing! Never! For a brief moment, he shut his eyes, willing and forcing himself to not cry. That would be weakness, and he could not have such a thing. But as he apologized, Ludwig did not say anything, just stared blankly ahead as he tried remaining calm, but his slightly shaking voice betrayed his doubt and unwillingness to believe this. "Y-You're wrong...! He would not do such a thing!" How could one bear to deal with the fact that their only family now could be out for blood, changed into something they were not. His voice dropped into a low murmur, reverting back to his native language out of habit. "...Oh, Gott... Bitte. It cannot be true... Bruder..."

Alfred sighed. His grip tightened on the steering wheel. "...believe whatever you want..." he murmured. "I'm only trying to tell you the truth so it doesn't hurt as badly later." To change the subject, he turned on the stereo. The radio was no longer working. Nobody was alive to operate the stations, anymore. Even if the people who used to were alive, they had better things to do. ...such as surviving. He knew how hard it was to lose someone that way, though. He'd lost a countless number of people to this new life. It was the horrible truth. Sometimes he wondered if it was better to be dead, or even changed. He'd take any of their places in a heartbeat if it meant saving someone. A CD came on, playing "Take Me Home Country Roads," softly. It was fitting. When the chorus came, Alfred began singing softly to it, his cheerful mood from earlier gone. "Country roads, take me home to the place I belong. West Virginia, mountain momma, take me home, country roads. Country roads, take me home to the place I belong. West Virginia, mountain momma, take me home, country roads..." he trailed off.

In all truth, it was just another day after the end of the world they'd known and grown accustomed to. Loss was every bit a part of that world as the spreading disease was. All they could hope for was to survive.


End file.
